BUTEO,—ASTURINA. 73 
and obscure greyish bars on the secondaries. Five black tail-bands can be traced, the 
subterminal one being much broader than the rest, whereas in one Mexican specimen 
there is scarcely any increase in the width of this bar. Another bird in our collection 
from Calovevora is jet-black. In both the Veraguan examples there is only a faint 
trace of white or grey bars on the upper tail-coverts. 
From the evidence at hand, B. brachyurus is a resident in Florida, though Dr. Ralph 
states that it is more commonly noticed in spring and summer®. We have a few 
specimens from that locality, received from Mr. Scott, one white-breasted individual 
(B. brachyurus) procured by him at Chasham in November, and two black-breasted 
birds (B. fuliginosus) obtained at Miami in October and on the Caloosahatchie River in 
January. Gurney?! states that in the Norwich Museum there is an example of it from 
Jalapa, in addition to the type; Mr. Ferrari-Perez has sent us one from Alvarado; 
and Sumichrast has recorded the species from Tonala and Tehuantepec city. Thence 
we trace its range to Panama and to the northern and central parts of South America, 
where it doubtless occurs only as a winter visitor. 
ASTURINA *. 
Asturina, Vieillot, Analyse, p. 24 (1816) ; Sclater & Salvin, P. Z.S. 1869, p.129; Sharpe, Cat. Birds 
Brit. Mus. i. p. 202. 
This genus is very closely allied to Buteo, and is by many authorities considered an 
intermediate link between the Buzzards and the Goshawks. With the latter, however, 
we are unable to trace much affinity, and we prefer to consider the Neotropical genus 
Asturina as thoroughly Buteonine in its relations. In the ‘ Catalogue of Birds’ the form 
of the nostril was considered a character for its definition, but a far better one is the 
shape of the wing, which is long and pointed in the Buzzards, and rounded in Asturina, 
in which genus the primaries are but little longer than the secondaries. 
Both the species of Astwrina are found within our limits. They are grey birds, 
having the four outer primaries excised on the inner web; the young differ considerably 
from the adults in plumage, so that the immature specimens are liable to be confounded 
with the young of the species of Buteo. 
1. Asturina nitida. 
Plumbeous Falcon, Lath. Gen. Syn., Suppl. p. 37 *. 
Falco nitidus, Lath. Ind. Orn. i. p. 417; Temm. Pl. Col. i. tt. 87, 294°. 
Asturina nitida, Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1864, p. 369°; Ex. Orn. p. 180°; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. 
vil. p. 316°; Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. i. p. 2037; Hand-l. Birds, i. p. 257°. 
* The heading to the subfamily Aqvitin= was accidentally omitted on p. 54: it includes Archibutco, Buteo, 
Asturina, Rupornis, Urubitinga, Leucopternis, Busarellus, Heterospizias, Harpyhaliaetus, Morphnus, Thrasaetus, 
Aquila, Spizaetus, and Spiziastur. 
BIOL. CENTR.-AMER., Aves, Vol. ITI.. December 1900. 10 
